Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: The Pickwick Papers

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    21

    Unhappy The Pickwick Papers

    One of my profs recommended The Pickwick Papers, and I told her I'd read it this summer.

    I started it yesterday, and I am having a lot of trouble with it. The prose is confusing and extremely wordy (I know this is partially because it was published in serial form). I have read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities, but I don't remember them being so taxing.

    Does anyone have any advice on how to read Pickwick?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    8,564
    Hello, cosmos, welcome to the forum.
    Though I have never read Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, I, along with many of his other readers, cannot ignore his very common verbosity. With extra words everywhere, impeding any kind of understanding of a book, sometimes I will turn to Cliff's Notes, which would probably have something for The Pickwick Papers, written by such a popular, classic author.
    Good luck!

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    21
    I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum; I didn't see the individual authors below!

  4. #4
    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    trapped in a prologue.
    Posts
    2,383
    Blog Entries
    7
    There must be something wrong with me, but I have never found Dickens overly wordy... especially when compared to his contemps.

    For the Pickwick Papers - I remember I found the beginning a bit confusing, but once you get into it, you become accusutmed to the language. Looking through the book now, I recall skimming the first chapter and really starting to read the second chapter - there was something about the first chapter that makes it seem as if it shouldn't be there.
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

  5. #5
    Piglet RJbibliophil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    The City
    Posts
    2,151
    Old books are often like that, you need to get a ways into them, then they get really interesting...
    When ideas fail, words come in very handy.


    Count to 10,000 and down to -10,000!

  6. #6
    Registered User Omniglot's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by RJbibliophil View Post
    Old books are often like that, you need to get a ways into them, then they get really interesting...
    Yes, thats how I am finding 'A Tale of two Cities'. The first chapter sort of befuddled me! But half way through the book, I think it's great.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by cosmos..33 View Post
    One of my profs recommended The Pickwick Papers, and I told her I'd read it this summer.

    I started it yesterday, and I am having a lot of trouble with it. The prose is confusing and extremely wordy (I know this is partially because it was published in serial form). I have read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities, but I don't remember them being so taxing.

    Does anyone have any advice on how to read Pickwick?

    Thanks!
    Hello dear friend;

    I started it last week and I live the same troubles with you.As I understood , the chapter's subjects are far away from eachother.The only similarity between the chapters are the characters.Last summer I tried to read David Copperfield but I couldn't manage it.) I think we must read the summary of the novel firstly and study the characters:Ha ha I think we can understand only by this way.

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Wyoming
    Posts
    16
    Cosmos

    I began Pickwick Papers a week ago and had trouble changing frequencies but being retired I lightened up . I have became really absorbed in his characters.And his use of language is fascinating. Dickens is a magnificent storyteller .

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    4

    Pickwick papers

    read the book slow.
    consider it three times its compressed size.
    enjoy the secrets of the text.

Similar Threads

  1. Pickwick papers
    By Unregistered in forum The Pickwick Papers
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 02-28-2021, 03:45 PM
  2. THE PICKWICK PAPERS
    By GorgeousKysha in forum The Pickwick Papers
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-17-2009, 09:06 AM
  3. PICKWICK PAPERS
    By Alan in forum The Pickwick Papers
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-17-2009, 08:19 AM
  4. Dickens' Pickwick Papers
    By bendadl in forum Introductions
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 12-29-2005, 02:49 PM
  5. Pickwick Papers
    By angelfriend2k in forum The Pickwick Papers
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-24-2005, 06:07 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •